A clearinghouse for information on atrocities under the Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Party in Iraq.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Life Under Saddam

from Hammorabi:

Psychological and social crimes of this kind which destroyed the Iraqi society and personality for many generations should be included as one of his major crimes during his trial.

1. Hanging in the public places
2. Charging the families the price of the bullets used to kill their beloved ones. The family have to sign a statement that their son is a traitor and are prevented from mourning the death. (This happened to my grandfather after Saddam's regime executed his two sons. Few days after their execution the security men informed him of the death by requesting the price of the bullets).
3. Using the rat poison to kill the detainees. It happened to my uncle who was only 13 years old.
4. Undercover killings by poisoning food or drink. It happened to many highly educated people e.g. university lecturers etc.
5. He killed his cousin Dr Raji Tikriti after Kuwait invasion by putting him in a cage with 25 starved dogs. The dogs attacked Raji Tikriti in front of Saddam ministers. After few minutes Raji was bones with out meat!
6. They could arrest up to the 6th degree relatives of the detained person for no reason but to make him confess by torturing and humiliating them in front of him. This happened to my father's cousin and his 15 years old son after they arrested his eldest son.
7. Smuggling escaped people from outside Iraq and killing them. This happened to my cousin after they arrested and killed his brother who was only a teenager. His family only discovered that he was killed after the liberation of Iraq in 9th April 2003. Before that they thought that he was in the Europe. He was in fact smuggled from Kuwait when the relations were OK between Saddam and the Kuwaiti government in 1980s and executed by Saddam's Mukhabarat.
8. Putting many prisoners in one small cell as to deprive them from rest and sleep.
9. Using dark and isolated cells deep under ground. The prisoner receives a piece of bread and water or soup through a hole opened once a day.
10. Horror cells by using different ways to horrify the prisoner.
11. Teeth pulling
12. Immersion of the person in a tank filled with strong acid until he or she dissolves away.